Who Owns Kawasaki Motorcycles, And Where Are Its Bikes Made?

If you're after a reliable, powerful motorcycle, you can never go wrong with a Kawasaki. There's a reason the manufacturer ranks high among the major motorcycle brands supplying today's market, with perks such as great after-sales support making ownership a pleasurable experience. Alongside said perks, Kawasaki is known for its impressive bikes, from the revered Ninja line to the likes of the Concours 14 and the Vulcan 900. Many avid bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts are familiar with these bikes. However, not everyone may know that Kawasaki Motors, responsible for the company's motorcycles, is a subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., and that its motorcycles are built in the U.S., Japan, and Thailand.

Kawasaki began as a sugar and tea shipping company in 1878, founded by Shōzō Kawasaki under the name Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard in Tokyo, Japan. As you can imagine, back then, motorcycles were still nonexistent; the first motorcycle, the Daimler Reitwagen, was developed by German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach some seven years later. Over the decades, the company Shōzō established would pivot several times, eventually dealing in shipping vessels and even aircraft manufacturing. It would also be famous for the magnificent two-wheeled beauties we know and love today, all built by Kawasaki Motors. Here's all you need to know.

The journey from Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard to Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. is a long and interesting one, spanning a good 83 years. But first, let's begin with the man who started it all. Shōzō Kawasaki was only 27 years old when he began his first shipping business. A tradesman since the age of 17, he'd run this business in Osaka before tragedy struck, and he lost the company when his cargo sank. 

Regardless, Shōzō kept moving forward, as his interest in Western ships and the modern shipbuilding industry continued to grow. He'd noted that most Western ships were faster, more stable, and had more space compared to their Japanese counterparts, and seemed eager to explore this space more. With his growing interest and expertise, and with the assistance of Vice Minister of Finance Masayoshi Matsukata, Kawasaki was finally able to open the Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard.

The company underwent one of its major shifts in 1896 when it incorporated and changed its name to Kawasaki Dockyard Co. Here, Kawasaki focused on shipbuilding, which would open doors into other interests such as locomotives in 1911 and aircraft in 1918. In 1939, the name Kawasaki Heavy Industries was officially established. In 1969, the various companies that formed Kawasaki — Kawasaki Dockyard, Kawasaki Rolling Stock Manufacturing, and Kawasaki Aircraft — merged to create Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

During its time in the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s, Kawasaki collaborated with numerous companies to make its products. One of the most notable was Meguro Manufacturing Company, which played a significant role in helping the company produce its earlier motorcycles. The first of these landed in 1961 and was made in Japan. Following the first release, Kawasaki debuted a few other interesting motorcycles, including underappreciated classics such as the W1 650, which were built in Japan. 

As expected, the company expanded beyond its country's borders, resulting in the opening of a manufacturing plant on a 335-acre site in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1974. This move aimed to reduce shipping costs and time, as well as to have American hands build the bikes they would ride, adding a sense of belonging to the motorcycles. Kawasaki also owns a manufacturing plant in Rayong's GK Land Industrial Park, Thailand, where many of its motorcycles are produced.